Why Lamont Paris, Gamecocks went with heavy on international flavor to build roster
Lamont Paris began his summer press conference by saying, "Hola."
“Working on my Spanish. I’m going to need it,” Paris said jokingly.
With the recent additions of several international players to the South Carolina men’s basketball roster, Paris might not have been kidding.
The Gamecocks added 12 new players this offseason. Five of those players have International hometowns listed on the roster including Jakub Necas (Czech Republic), Mathias Alessanco (Brazil), Hugo Lopez (Spain), Juan Fernández (Argentina) and Aleksas Bieliauskas (Lithuania).
Both Necas (Duquesne) and Bieliauskas (Wisconsin) have been playing college basketball in the United States, while the other three played with professional teams overseas. Necas and Bieliauskas have played in the NCAA Tournament, and Paris said that experience is a big plus.
Fernandez and Necas are still playing for their countries and haven’t arrived on campus. Lopez, who has had issues with his visa, also isn’t at USC just yet.
“We’ll have a good influx of international flavor on our team. A couple of them are playing with their national teams right now, and so they won’t be on campus for a little while,” Paris said. “But they’re very excited and incredibly appreciative of the opportunity that lies in front of them.”
Adding foreign-born players to Division I rosters is becoming more common these days. Of last year’s men’s Final Four made up of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan and UConn, there were 23 players with a foreign hometown listed among the teams.
According to NCAA.org, there were 1,838 international athletes listed on Division I men’s and women’s basketball rosters last season, a 175% increase since 2010. Of the 1,838 players, 888 are in men’s basketball.
Paris has always been a big fan of having international players on his teams, including when he was at Chattanooga. He had Angolan-born Silvio De Sousa, a Kansas transfer, play for him with the Mocs along with two players from Nigeria, ones from Serbia, France and Spain.
“Their perspective in basketball for this opportunity is different than American-born players, in terms of just what the opportunity means,” Paris said. “Generally speaking, it’s a different perspective, and I like having some of that perspective on our team. Those guys have been shooting from the international 3-point line their entire lives.
“... Stylistically, there’s typically been a concentration earlier in their lives on some fundamental things and skill. I have always valued that. I value diversity on our team, also. I think the experiences of these young men is enhanced by having people from different walks of life with different paths that have gotten here, all coming together for one common goal.”
Paris credited new assistant Bob Donewald with helping out in the process of landing the players from overseas. Donewald has extensive coaching experience outside of the United States. He was the head coach of the Chinese National Team from 2010-12 and coached them in the 2010 World Championships, Asian Games and 2012 London Olympics.
Donewald, who also spent time in the Chinese Basketball Association, used his contacts overseas with helping gather intel on players and made the lengthy travel during the recruiting process.
Of the international additions, Fernandez is likely to have the biggest impact next season (Alessanco is coming off a torn ACL). Paris said they did a lot of research on Fernandez from the start and acquired some information “in the eleventh hour” to help land him. The Gamecocks beat out North Carolina, among others, to land him.
Paris likes the 6-foot-11 and 22-year-old Fernandez’s game, including his passing and ability to score.
“Juan with just with his length and size, and he’s been around the block, so he’s seen really physical players, he’s seen really athletic players, he’s seen a lot, and so he’s learned how to manipulate the game to where it suits him,” Paris said. “He’s just an experienced guy. He knows how to manipulate the game.”
